If you think driving on Rt. 23 at I-270 is a headache, imagine living there.

When the three-year reconstruction of the Far North Side interchange began in the fall, the home
life of the residents nearest the project changed overnight.

The transformation was especially dramatic for three homeowners on the west side of Rt. 23 —
where a 6-foot-high mound of earth topped with mature pine trees was stripped away and replaced
with a lane of pavement.

Suddenly, their homes sat exposed a few dozen feet from the traffic.

I stopped by recently to find out what it’s like to live with a freeway in your backyard. Two of
the owners spoke with me on the condition that their names not be used.

The homeowners were each paid $42,000 to $50,000 for the lost value to their property and the
loss of landscaping. They agreed to the terms, but the reality of living without privacy remains
shocking.

“I was here the day they took down the trees,” one of the homeowners said. “I was heartbroken.”&
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The construction has become such an irritation to his wife that she no longer likes to use the
family room in the back of the house, he said.

Next door, his neighbor’s summer pastimes of gardening and reading on the patio will likely take
a hiatus, given the stream of vehicles flying past.

“Do I want to sit out there and read?” she asked. “No. Everyone will be watching me.

“Maybe I could hide in the corner.”

The problems extend beyond a lack of privacy: The noise is worse without the earthen mound and
trees, and floodlights from nighttime construction can keep the owners awake.

The biggest worry for one family, though, is safety.

The couple have four children — the youngest 5 years old — who enjoy playing in the backyard.
Their wooden fence has been knocked down twice during construction; otherwise, nothing stands
between the family and the highway vehicles.

A spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Transportation said the agency will soon take steps to
remedy the homeowners’ concerns — temporarily, at least.

Before vehicles start using the new strip of pavement late this month, ODOT will install dark
screens and 3-foot-tall concrete barriers to separate the yards from the pavement, Nancy Burton
said.

“There will be a screen at least 6 feet and up to 9 feet high, a visual buffer that will screen
those homes,” Burton said. “Will it cover an 18-wheeler and a cab? Not completely, but those
homeowners can sunbathe, mow their yard and not look at traffic going by.

“On the other side of the screen will be the concrete safety barrier.”

When the project is completed in 30 months (if it remains on schedule), the strip of pavement
and the temporary barriers will be removed, and the homeowners can rebuild a buffer.

They look forward to that day but know that they have a long road ahead of them.

“If I’d known this, I probably would never have bought here,” said one, gazing out a back window
at the traffic roaring by.